Christine Livingston was born and raised in Northwest Indiana, and when she thinks of the region, she thinks of two things: sand and steel.
“I guess that’s what really motivated me,” said Livingston, president and CEO of Indiana Dunes Tourism. “I feel like this is an authentic telling of our story. … We’re celebrating our industrial heritage, and we’re celebrating the Indiana Dunes and the natural asset in Lake Michigan. It needs to be protected and cherished, but at the same time, there’s more to this destination than just going to the beach.”
The Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk (Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore) in Portage, Indiana with U.S. Steel plant in the background on Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021. (Jose M. Osorio/ Chicago Tribune)
Through her work as president and CEO of Indiana Dunes Tourism, Livingston started the “Sand + Steel” initiative, which works with organizations, businesses, artists and communities regionwide to create partnerships and a tourism brand.
The initiative highlights the Indiana Dunes and beaches on Lake Michigan and the steel industry that has called Northwest Indiana home.
Livingston started the initiative by having “informal focus groups” with different community leaders, including mayors, business leaders or local organizations.
“What I found was, after a few months of having conversations with people and trying to get merchandise in our gift shop, it was a very strong brand,” Livingston said.
Items from the soon-to-be released Sand+Steel collection, including a special coffee blend from FLUID Coffee, on left, and a clay mug created by Duneland Pottery sit on display on a shelf at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center in Chesterton on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
The Northwest Indiana Forum has worked with Indiana Dunes Tourism through the “Sand + Steel” initiative, said Heather Ennis, president and CEO. Her organization has been part of the initiative for about a year and a half, Ennis said.
The Northwest Indiana Forum has worked with Indiana Dunes Tourism to create a new South Shore poster to help advertise the initiative. Ennis is excited to see how the initiative will continue to grow.
“Seeing all the voices at the table and seeing people really excited about the ways to engage the assets along Lake Michigan, whether they be industrial or natural, is really exciting,” Ennis said. “I think this gives us a platform to embrace who we are and the great things that come to our region.”
Kris Krouse, executive director of Shirley Heinze Land Trust, said the initiative is important for his organization. Representatives from Indiana Dunes Tourism asked Krouse to help showcase the natural areas that are preserved in the region.
Items from the soon-to-be released Sand+Steel collection sit on display on a shelf at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center in Chesterton on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
Shirley Heinze Land Trust is creating discovery trails that will lead visitors through different areas of the region, where they could find activities and amenities they might not otherwise find, Krouse said.
“It’s nice to have partners that want to highlight and feature these natural areas that are an important part of our region and important to our quality of life,” Krouse said. “We have so many rare and unique ecological gems in the region, and we need to create and bolster a sense of pride in where we live.”
The South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority has been an important partner for Indiana Dunes Tourism, Livingston said.
“(Indiana Dunes Tourism) is a great partner of ours, and we’re excited to support their vision and help tell the story of Northwest Indiana’s past and future,” said Heather Becerra, chief marketing officer for the SSCVA. “We have an area that was shaped by hard work, and we have natural beauty, and we need to own both of them.”
Indiana Dunes Tourism Retail Director Linda Pallo holds a “Sand + Steel” coffee roast from FLUID Coffee as she shows various items that will be part of the organization’s Sand + Steel initiative at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
Becerra expects that residents and tourists will see smaller projects throughout the region that support the “Sand + Steel” initiative. The SSCVA plans to install wayfinding signage along U.S. Route 12 that fits the initiative’s design, and the group will install discovery hubs at South Shore train stations that will guide visitors throughout the region.
“Hopefully, in the next six months or a year, we’ll have some different things in place,” Becerra said. “I think it’s something that’s going to happen over many years, just to make it a stronger project.”
The organization’s South Shore Gift Shop, 7770 Corinne Drive in Hammond, also sells “Sand + Steel” merchandise from local artisans, including Jeff Layman, co-owner of RustiX, a small business that creates art pieces out of layering wood.
Layman will use reclaimed, weathered, rustic or new wood for each piece, which is cut out of a solid piece of wood. From that, he will make a frame and use cutouts to create a picture. Layman’s wife will pick colors for the wood before they stain and place it into the frame.
Layman is from Northwest Indiana, and he likes this work to center around the region. For the “Sand + Steel” initiative, he created a piece that shows a beach and a steel mill in the background.
RustiX became part of the initiative after the SSCVA asked him to sell his work in the Hammond gift shop. They connected Layman to Indiana Dunes Tourism to also be included in their gift shop.
“It’s super exciting to be part of this,” Layman said. “The dunes are ingrained in the region, and I don’t think a lot of people take advantage of the dunes as much as they should. Both my grandparents and my dad retired from the mills, so we’re a steel mill family. … They’re a huge part of the infrastructure in this region.”
Through the “Sand + Steel” initiative, Fluid Coffee Roasters is selling coffee grounds in the Indiana Dunes Tourism Center’s gift shop, said Founder Alison Scates. The business, which has six locations throughout the region, plans to open a small cafe in the visitor center, which will also feature the “Sand + Steel” coffee.
The coffee is an organic Colombian roast, according to Fluid’s website, and has notes of apricot, mandarin zest, cocoa butter and blackberry.
“People are really enjoying it,” Scates said. “It’s definitely for a coffee connoisseur. … Our coffee is definitely an experience, and this has some traditional coffee feelings and notes to it, like chocolate and nuttiness, but it also has fruit notes to it, which makes it a really nice, fine coffee. I’m excited about it.”
One community partner working on the “Sand + Steel” initiative is the city of Gary. Christopher Harris, executive director of redevelopment, said the city carries “great responsibility” in acknowledging the history of the region.
“It’s important for us to be able to tell that story and be part of that identity and really reclaim our narrative as a city,” Harris said. “We’re really grateful to be able to participate in that way and curate our story.”
Gary has access to the Indiana Dunes National Park, and it’s home to U.S. Steel’s Gary Works facility, which Harris believes makes the city the intersection for sand and steel, he said.
Through the initiative, the city is updating signage and working on art installations that tie into the “Sand + Steel” theme.
“I think, for so long, we’ve allowed other people to define us,” Harris said. “I think that if you go back through time, you can see that’s how we’ve marketed ourselves. Sand and steel are our roots.”
Livingston is excited to see how “Sand + Steel” will continue to grow, and she believes it will help increase not only tourism, but pride in Northwest Indiana.
“I’ve been here my whole life,” she said. “I’m really passionate about the area, to be able to make a positive change and work with others that are working toward the same positive change.”
